Question 1

Discuss the advantages of a small organization over a large one.

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Question 2

Size creates economies of scale and economies of scope. Explain these two advantages of larger size. What are diseconomies of scale? Give an example.

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Question 3

Sheri then turned her attention to the technology changes that could help her organization to become more agile. Which of the following technology changes could her boss use successfully in this scenario?
A)Total quality management
B)Practicing continuous improvement
C)ISO 9001
D)Flexible manufacturing
E)Becoming a learning organization

Accepted Answer

Organizing for flexible manufacturing is one of the ways that technology can support agility. Others include technology configurations and organizing for speed.

Question 4

Explain a few activities that a firm can do to become a high-involvement organization.

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Question 5

Explain how organizing around core capabilities increases organizational agility.

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Question 6

The organic structure stands in stark contrast to the mechanistic organization. Explain.

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Question 7

Which of the following is a point from Deming's "14 points" theory that the company can use?
A)Increase dependence on mass inspection
B)Keep barriers within departments to increase efficiency
C)Provide slogans and exhortations to drive people
D)Institute training and retraining
E)Increase numerical quotas

Accepted Answer

Deming's "14 points" of quality emphasized a holistic approach to management that demands intimate understanding of the process. One of them is to institute training and retraining-continually update methods and thinking.

Question 8

Which of the following should the company use to analyze the causes of product defects and eliminate them to improve customer satisfaction?
A)Six sigma
B)Just-in-time operations
C)Concurrent engineering
D)Rightsizing
E)Lean manufacturing

Accepted Answer

Six sigma quality is a method of systematically analyzing work processes to identify and eliminate virtually all causes of defects, standardizing the processes to reach the lowest practicable level of any cause of customer dissatisfaction.

Question 9

How are downsizing and rightsizing related? How are they different?

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Question 10

When the manager at Cheerio Cricket Bats wants to assess where the company gets the wood used to make the bats, the part of the value chain is he most likely to look at is ____.
A)inbound logistics
B)operations
C)outbound logistics
D)marketing and sales
E)research and development

Accepted Answer

A value chain is the sequence of activities that flow from raw materials to the delivery of a good or service, with additional value created at each step. Inbound logistics is a step in this sequence that deals with the receiving and storing of raw materials and distributing them to operations.

Question 11

Sheri was considering forming a strategic alliance to enter a new market. In order to be successful at doing so, Sheri recommended that before making a decision to move forward with the strategic alliance, her boss must first
A)consider the other firm's area of expertise.
B)be certain that he would remain the CEO of the combined firms.
C)develop a worldwide network including the firm being considered for the alliance.
D)ensure that the other firm uses authority in the same way as her boss does.
E)find a decentralized organization with which to partner.

Accepted Answer

For the alliance to work, the partners also must consider one another's areas of expertise and the incentives involved in the structure of the alliance.

Question 12

When the manager considers the players' requirements, the part of the value chain is he most likely looking at is ____.
A)inbound logistics
B)operations
C)outbound logistics
D)marketing and sales
E)research and development

Accepted Answer

A value chain is the sequence of activities that flow from raw materials to the delivery of a good or service, with additional value created at each step. Marketing and sales constitute a step in this sequence that deals with identifying customer requirements and getting customers to purchase the product.

Question 13

Describe the difference between a learning organization and a high-involvement organization.

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Question 14

When the manager at Cheerio Cricket Bats wants to review the process of producing the actual bats, the part of the value chain he is most likely to look at is ____.
A)inbound logistics
B)operations
C)outbound logistics
D)marketing and sales
E)research and development

Accepted Answer

A value chain is the sequence of activities that flow from raw materials to the delivery of a good or service, with additional value created at each step. Operations constitute a step in this sequence that deals with transforming the raw materials into final product.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes what Leland was referring to in the meeting?
A)Customer relationship management
B)Computer-integrated management
C)Scientific management
D)Customer tracking system
E)Economies of scope

Accepted Answer

Customer relationship management refers to a multifaceted process focusing on creating two-way exchanges with customers to foster intimate knowledge of their needs, wants, and buying patterns.

Question 16

Provide a comparison between customer relationship management and total quality management.

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Question 17

List out five positive practices that firms can engage in to ease the pain and increase the effectiveness of downsizing.

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Question 18

Which of the following best describes what Drew was referring to in the meeting?
A)Just-in-time engineering
B)Quality circle management
C)Organic structuring
D)Total quality management
E)Quality reengineering

Accepted Answer

Total quality management refers to an integrative approach to management that supports the attainment of customer satisfaction through a wide variety of tools and techniques that result in high-quality goods and services.

Question 19

One aspect that Sheri considered was to be sure that the firm focused on its competitiveness and managed its core capabilities to obtain competitive advantage. Which of the following should Sheri recommend to her boss to best accomplish this goal?
A)Coordinate by standardization
B)Formalize all processes with the written approval of the board of directors
C)Change the organization to a matrix structure
D)Accumulate the right resources and eliminate resources that don't provide value
E)Centralize decision making

Accepted Answer

Managers who want to strengthen their firms' competitiveness need to focus on accumulating the right resources and eliminating resources that don't provide value.

Question 20

Describe the sequence of activities in a value chain and how each step can add value to the product or service.

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Quiz 9: Organizational Agility

Discuss the advantages of a small organization over a large one.

Size creates economies of scale and economies of scope. Explain these two advantages of larger size. What are diseconomies of scale? Give an example.

Sheri then turned her attention to the technology changes that could help her organization to become more agile. Which of the following technology changes could her boss use successfully in this scenario?

Explain a few activities that a firm can do to become a high-involvement organization.

Explain how organizing around core capabilities increases organizational agility.

The organic structure stands in stark contrast to the mechanistic organization. Explain.

Which of the following is a point from Deming's "14 points" theory that the company can use?

Which of the following should the company use to analyze the causes of product defects and eliminate them to improve customer satisfaction?

How are downsizing and rightsizing related? How are they different?

When the manager at Cheerio Cricket Bats wants to assess where the company gets the wood used to make the bats, the part of the value chain is he most likely to look at is ____.

Sheri was considering forming a strategic alliance to enter a new market. In order to be successful at doing so, Sheri recommended that before making a decision to move forward with the strategic alliance, her boss must first

When the manager considers the players' requirements, the part of the value chain is he most likely looking at is ____.

Describe the difference between a learning organization and a high-involvement organization.

When the manager at Cheerio Cricket Bats wants to review the process of producing the actual bats, the part of the value chain he is most likely to look at is ____.

Which of the following best describes what Leland was referring to in the meeting?

Provide a comparison between customer relationship management and total quality management.

List out five positive practices that firms can engage in to ease the pain and increase the effectiveness of downsizing.

Which of the following best describes what Drew was referring to in the meeting?

One aspect that Sheri considered was to be sure that the firm focused on its competitiveness and managed its core capabilities to obtain competitive advantage. Which of the following should Sheri recommend to her boss to best accomplish this goal?

Describe the sequence of activities in a value chain and how each step can add value to the product or service.